Post by aggiejazz on Aug 22, 2008 14:49:23 GMT -5
High school star leaving UConn, plans to enroll at Delaware
By BUDDY HURLOCK • The News Journal • August 19, 2008
The dedication just wasn't there.
That's how Elena DelleDonne explained her decision Monday to forgo a basketball scholarship to the University of Connecticut.
In a statement e-mailed to the media, DelleDonne, widely considered the best high school girls basketball player in the country last season, said she now plans to enroll at the University of Delaware. DelleDonne refused to comment further.
Because of NCAA rules, DelleDonne would not be eligible to play sports at Delaware until the 2009-10 season.
University of Delaware spokesman John Brennan said DelleDonne "has applied and the admissions office is currently in the process of reviewing her application."
Though May 1 was UD's undergraduate admission application deadline for transfer students entering the fall semester, the university can be flexible, Brennan said. DelleDonne is considered a transfer because she attended summer-session classes at Connecticut for one day.
"For Delaware residents, we are always willing to work with them to help them meet their educational goals," Brennan said.
DelleDonne, 18, has not been released from her Connecticut scholarship, according to an e-mail sent Monday morning by UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma.
"There has been no release," Auriemma said.
Because of that, DelleDonne cannot take advantage of a one-time exemption that would have made her immediately eligible for every women's sport but basketball. In addition, UD coaches are prohibited from contacting DelleDonne until she spends one school year enrolled at the university.
DelleDonne played volleyball as a senior at Ursuline, helping the Raiders win a state title. One of her Ursuline teammates, Meghan Bonk, is now a freshman on the Blue Hens' volleyball team.
DelleDonne is not the first Ursuline Academy athletic star of late to initially bypass college sports. A former teammate of DelleDonne's, Stephanie Seitz, played volleyball, basketball and golf at Ursuline before graduating in 2007.
Heading into college, Seitz, 19, was ready to put sports behind her. But it was not long before she missed the human drama of athletic competition.
"I had several opportunities to play volleyball and basketball at other [colleges]," Seitz said. "But I wanted to go to Boston College. That was just a school that was a right fit for me. I went [there] thinking I just wanted to be a student.
"Once I got there, the first weekend, I realized I really missed competing on a team and just the camaraderie you get playing a team sport. It was challenging balancing academics and a varsity sport. But it was definitely worth it."
Seitz said that DelleDonne, too, may be pulled back into sports.
"Having played with her in high school," Seitz said, "she's a tremendously gifted athlete. She just has to do what's right for her. She can obviously be successful beyond basketball. She doesn't look back and regret her decision."
In her statement, DelleDonne said she was "especially grateful" to Auriemma.
By BUDDY HURLOCK • The News Journal • August 19, 2008
The dedication just wasn't there.
That's how Elena DelleDonne explained her decision Monday to forgo a basketball scholarship to the University of Connecticut.
In a statement e-mailed to the media, DelleDonne, widely considered the best high school girls basketball player in the country last season, said she now plans to enroll at the University of Delaware. DelleDonne refused to comment further.
Because of NCAA rules, DelleDonne would not be eligible to play sports at Delaware until the 2009-10 season.
University of Delaware spokesman John Brennan said DelleDonne "has applied and the admissions office is currently in the process of reviewing her application."
Though May 1 was UD's undergraduate admission application deadline for transfer students entering the fall semester, the university can be flexible, Brennan said. DelleDonne is considered a transfer because she attended summer-session classes at Connecticut for one day.
"For Delaware residents, we are always willing to work with them to help them meet their educational goals," Brennan said.
DelleDonne, 18, has not been released from her Connecticut scholarship, according to an e-mail sent Monday morning by UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma.
"There has been no release," Auriemma said.
Because of that, DelleDonne cannot take advantage of a one-time exemption that would have made her immediately eligible for every women's sport but basketball. In addition, UD coaches are prohibited from contacting DelleDonne until she spends one school year enrolled at the university.
DelleDonne played volleyball as a senior at Ursuline, helping the Raiders win a state title. One of her Ursuline teammates, Meghan Bonk, is now a freshman on the Blue Hens' volleyball team.
DelleDonne is not the first Ursuline Academy athletic star of late to initially bypass college sports. A former teammate of DelleDonne's, Stephanie Seitz, played volleyball, basketball and golf at Ursuline before graduating in 2007.
Heading into college, Seitz, 19, was ready to put sports behind her. But it was not long before she missed the human drama of athletic competition.
"I had several opportunities to play volleyball and basketball at other [colleges]," Seitz said. "But I wanted to go to Boston College. That was just a school that was a right fit for me. I went [there] thinking I just wanted to be a student.
"Once I got there, the first weekend, I realized I really missed competing on a team and just the camaraderie you get playing a team sport. It was challenging balancing academics and a varsity sport. But it was definitely worth it."
Seitz said that DelleDonne, too, may be pulled back into sports.
"Having played with her in high school," Seitz said, "she's a tremendously gifted athlete. She just has to do what's right for her. She can obviously be successful beyond basketball. She doesn't look back and regret her decision."
In her statement, DelleDonne said she was "especially grateful" to Auriemma.
